August 30, 2009, (Sawf News) - Ticagrelor or Brilinta, a new blood thinning drug from AstraZeneca PLC, outperforms clopidogrel, sold under the trade name Plavix, according to a new study.
Plavix by Bristol-Meyers Squibb has so far been the standard anti clogging treatment and is the second best selling ($8.6 billion-per-year) drug in the market. It is given to patients to prevent the blood clots that cause heart attacks.
Brilinta like Plavix prevents blood cells called platelets from clumping together to form clots.
Brilinta "outperforms as compared with clopidogrel in patients with acute coronary syndromes significantly reduced the rate of death from vascular causes, myocardial infarction, or stroke," says the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The study based on Phase 3 trials of the experimental drug followed 18,624 patients worldwide from 2006 to 2008, with about half the patients taking clopidogrel and the other half taking Brilinta.
Those on Brilinta had a 4.5 percent chance of dying, versus a 5.9 percent death risk for patients on Plavix. The 20% decrease in death rate with Brilinta is perceived as statistically significant.
The study also found that those treated with Brilinta were less likely to have bleeding problems, one of Plavix's known side effects. Brilinta's own adverse side effects include breathing and heart rhythm abnormalities.
Another difference - Unlike Plavix, which keeps working even after the drug is stopped, Brilinta stops working fairly quickly. If patients taking Brilinta end up in an emergency room they can be prepared for surgery much sooner, without excessive bleeding risk.
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